When offering value to your real estate clients, nothing ups the ante like a home warranty. Whether you’re drawing in a buyer or making a potential seller feel the home is protected, a home warranty acts as a safety blanket should anything go awry with covered home system components or appliances during or after the sale.

However, not all home warranties are the same. When shopping for a home warranty provider, Cindy Buckreus, a REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Heritage in Dayton, Ohio, didn’t have to look far. She likes the service American Home Shield® (AHS®) offers homeowners to help them protect their homes; the company had already been protecting Buckreus’ own home for 10 years.

American Home Shield has been in the home warranty business for over 40 years, and its stellar reputation stems not only from its local liaisons, but from its track record; the company notes that it assigns contractors to a job within 15 minutes or less, 90 percent of the time.

“American Home Shield has the best reputation in our area for sure,” says Buckreus, who has been in real estate since 1998, working with Coldwell Banker Heritage since day one of her real estate career 18 years ago. “I love that there’s no end to what you can do,” says Buckreus about working in real estate. “If you’re a hard-working person, you can do anything.”

Buckreus’ loyalty and love of hard work is mirrored in her choice of a home warranty provider. AHS works around the clock to provide award-winning service to buyers and sellers. With local sales representatives available to answer any questions or help with service requests, Buckreus’ clients feel supported and confident throughout the process.

“When someone has a problem, time is of the essence,” says Buckreus. “You want your client to get help immediately, and if you can’t find the sales representative or get anyone to call you back, your home warranty is worthless. Our local representative, Beth Kimbler, is amazing. If there’s a problem, she’s ‘Johnny-on-the-spot,’ and that’s huge. Not every home warranty company has a local representative.”

With 360 agents in her brokerage, Buckreus knows the importance of team work, and that’s what AHS offers. This type of support helps reduce the worries of buyers and sellers so that they can relax and know that should any covered breakdowns arise, they simply contact AHS. “Whether they’re buying or selling, when I say there’s a home warranty, the clients say, ‘Great!’ It’s a big deal to them,” explains Buckreus, who believes the availability of a home warranty can help close a deal. “Having a home warranty versus not having a home warranty can absolutely help close, and having a good, reputable company makes it even better.”